Lady Bird Lake
Lady Bird Lake (formerly, and still colloquially referred to as Town Lake) is a river-like reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas, United States. The City of Austin created the reservoir in 1960 as a cooling pond for a new city power plant. The lake, which has a surface area of 416 acres (168 ha), is now used primarily for recreation and flood control. The reservoir is named in honor of former First Lady of the United States Lady Bird Johnson.
| Lady Bird Lake | |
|---|---|
View from Lady Bird Lake toward Downtown Austin. | |
Lady Bird Lake Lady Bird Lake | |
| Location | Central Austin, Texas, United States |
| Coordinates | 30°15′03″N 97°42′49″W |
| Type | Power plant cooling/recreational reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Colorado River |
| Primary outflows | Colorado River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Built | 1960 |
| Surface area | 468 acres (189 ha) |
| Max. depth | 18 ft (5.5 m) |
| Surface elevation | 428 ft (130 m) |
Lady Bird Lake is the easternmost lake of a chain of reservoirs on the river, which is completely located in Texas, and should not be confused with the larger Colorado River located in the Southwestern United States. This chain, known locally as the Texas Highland Lakes, also includes Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls, Lake Travis, and Lake Austin.